


wicked little town

by lostin_space



Series: Touch Me [3]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, High School, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Talking, powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25359346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Michael hates the way the people of Roswell have made Alex think of himself.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Touch Me [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683790
Comments: 17
Kudos: 115
Collections: Roswell New Mexico ▶ Michael Guerin / Alex Manes





	wicked little town

**Author's Note:**

> malex week day 6: music! this song choice for this is wicked little town from hedwig (thanks celiabowe on Tumblr)
> 
> let me know if i forgot any tags

“Oh my  _ God,  _ you’re so negative.”

There were few things that said “soulmate” quite like having gifts practically made for each other and Michael  _ loved  _ it.

That being said, it somehow made Alex extremely insecure. Michael could have anyone, Alex could only have him. It made him scared that he would be left and lonely. What he didn’t seem to see, though, was that there was something so goddamn incredible about him and being with him. Every simple touch made his heart race‒literally. And that was just the physical part of it. Alex was smart and sweet and they genuinely  _ meshed  _ well together.

That wasn’t the only thing that messed with Alex’s head, though, and Michael knew it. He knew his existence didn’t magically cure years of being ostracized. It didn’t fix parents creating petitions to get him thrown out of school or his name being added to a national list of people who are deadly with his address publicized so that people could avoid him like a plague. He was treated like he wasn’t human. That meant Michael did his damnedest to remind him that he was.

“I’m  _ not  _ negative,” Alex insisted, pouting like he  _ always  _ did, “I just don’t think we should go to a drive-in.”

“Alex, baby, darling, sweetheart, my love,” Michael said, ignoring the way he rolled his eyes. Michael placed himself firmly in Alex’s lap, squeezing his cheeks between his hands. Alex smiled like he always did when Michael touched him. “Let’s  _ go,  _ it’ll be fun! And harmless. You need to get out of here and do something.”

“I don’t like going out,” Alex said, peeling his hands off and trying to not smile anymore. Michael shook his head and rested his forehead against his. 

“This town has so fucked you over,” Michael told him, pressing their noses together. Each time he touched him in a place where he could also feel his breath was unreal. Alex’s body was designed to kill, and it kept trying to kill him, but then Alex would breathe life right back into him. Sure, that’s not what was  _ actually  _ happening, but it made Michael smile.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Alex sighed. Michael moved his hands to his shoulders and pulled him forward as he leaned back. His back hit the mattress and Alex was above him. He flashed a smile to soften the blow of what he was about to say.

“I  _ mean,”  _ he said, pulling Alex in for a soft kiss, “They’re hateful as fuck. They’ve spent your whole life telling you that you deserve to be hated until you believed it.”

Alex sighed, pulling up and out of Michael’s grip. He seemed to not quite understand that it  _ was  _ the town that made him so isolated. Sure, other people in other places would be just as horrible, but Michael had been a lot of places. If you’re smart about it, no one cares.

“Wouldn’t it be cool to show off that you’re not just put on this Earth to be scary?” Michael asked, sitting up again. Alex looked away. “You’re not dangerous, Alex.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay, so what, maybe you are. So am I. Do you know how many banks I could get away with robbing because I can’t be killed? I could do so many bad things, but I  _ don’t.  _ And neither do you. You aren’t bad, Alex,” Michael insisted, “This fucking town has made you think you’re bad.”

“I kill people on  _ accident _ , Michael. I  _ am  _ bad,” Alex told him, voice weak. 

Michael slumped forward until his face was pressed into the crook of his neck where it belonged. He knew a few little words about how great Michael thought he was wouldn’t cure his thought process. Honestly, he didn’t know what would.

“I bet, one day, there’s gonna be something to make you less deadly,” Michael whispered against his skin, “A pill or a special kind of fabric or something. I know it’s gonna happen. But for right now, you can’t let yourself be miserable. There are ways you can enjoy yourself without endangering other people.”

“Like how?” Alex sniffled. Michael wrapped his arms around him and rolled them both over. He tucked Alex’s hair behind his ear and dragged his thumb over his cheekbone.

“Like going to the drive-in,” Michael suggested. Alex let out a disbelieving laugh and rolled onto his back. Michael was really having a problem with him continuously moving away, so he stayed put this time. “I’ll drive, I’ll buy the tickets. You don’t have to interact with anyone, but you still get to do  _ something.  _ I swear, all you’ll have to do is look pretty and we can feel each other up instead of watching the movie.”

Alex squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands over his face to hide the fact that he’d gotten a smile out of him.

“Come  _ on, _ Alex,” Michael said, “Stop letting stupid fucking people dictate if you can leave your house or not.”

Alex’s chest rose and fell with each breath and his shirt had ridden up a little bit to reveal a strip of skin above his sweats. He had fluffy socks with bees on them and watched romcoms and sang ABBA to himself regularly and Michael didn’t understand how everyone  _ only  _ saw him as a threat. He was so much better than that. He was  _ human  _ and he was lovable and he was more than his gift, just like everyone else.

“Fine,” Alex caved, letting his hands drop off his face, “We can go. By if something bad happens…”

“You gotta live your life without fear that something bad is going to happen. You’re going to be in my truck. The only person who will be within touching distance will be me and I, personally, plan to touch you on purpose,” Michael told him. He didn’t have to see it to know that Alex rolled his eyes. “It’s going to be fun.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I _ am, _ ” Michael insisted, pushing himself up to rest his head in his hand. Alex’s eyes went to his face and it was clear he was scared to go outside for things that weren’t school. 

The town was small. Touching people on accident was such an unlikely thing to happen, especially when  _ everyone  _ knew who he was. There was nothing to be scared of. But, of course, there was no way to say that without sounding like a dick if it actually did happen.

Instead, he placed his hand on his face and leaned in close. Alex tilted his head up and their lips stayed merely a centimeter apart, an unbridled sense of patience that only Alex Manes was capable of.

“One day, I’m going to get you out of here and take you someplace worth it,” Michael whispered into his mouth, “Someplace where everyone is treated like you by their own stupid environments. I’m gonna find you a safe place no matter what. You trust me?”

Alex took a shaky breath and nodded, reaching up to pull him down for a kiss. His back arched to press in closer and his fingers slipped into his hair, tugging gently as he held him close. Michael melted into him.

They missed the drive-in that night.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
